The Avatar: Forebear of Light
by Acton
Summary: Jake becomes the Olo'eyktan of the Omaticaya Clan after the RDA is exiled from Pandora. Jake is on a Journey to Lead the Omaticaya to a new home tree when he comes across a mysterious object with strange glyphs. Sequel to Avatar the Movie.
1. Chapter 1

The Avatar

A work based on James Cameron's hit movie

"The Avatar"

The Avatar

Forebear of Light

A Fan fiction by Acton Caetum

Chapter 1

The sound of the rain splashing against the leaves was almost symphonic.

Jake looked up through the canopy of leaves, leaves that seemed to each have their own unique shape and texture. It puzzled Jake how everything on Pandora seemed to bring such wonder and awe to him whenever he focused on it.

It had been two months since the RDA had left the planet and he had relinquished his role as _Teruk Maktao. _It had been his responsibility to lead the Omaticaya Clan to a new home tree. After relinquishing the Teruk it had been a hectic time, he wasn't used to having so many people depending on him.

Neytiri had helped him throughout the whole process, translating for him when a specific member of the clan who didn't know English had a problem for the _Olo'eyktan. _He did his best to help each member of the clan and they were always grateful for his assistance.

The Na'vi where a people who always surprised him, they were so different from humans in so many ways. He had expected there to be a lot of complaints from the Omaticaya after their exodus from the Tree of Souls. After all it was a place of comfort and familiarity for them. Jake at first was also hesitant to leave the Tree of Souls behind; it was where he had officially become a Na'vi.

But as the leader of the Omaticaya it was his responsibility to protect and serve his clan. So they had ventured out in search of a new home tree.

Today they had camped down in an area close to a small river they had come across two days before. When they had arrived the river was perhaps a third of the size that it currently was at present. They had to move back their camp twice to keep well clear of the rising banks. Being that until just recently Jake had not been a native of the planet; he hadn't realized that they were on the verge of entering the wet season.

It seemed to have been raining every day since they had left the tree of souls, and it seemed to be transforming the forest. Jake had thought the forest had been vibrant before when he first arrived on Pandora nearly four months ago, but that was nothing compared to this.

With the wet season new insect like creatures called _nekx-ngawng _had appeared. Neytiri told him that these creatures appeared at the advent of every wet season to feed on special mucus that the _Hammerhead Titanothere _secreted on the petals around their neck to attract a mate. The Titanothere used it as a territorial marker to warn other males not to come into their territory. For the Na'vi it served a second purpose. It was a water resistant flammable liquid sap.

At least his clan wouldn't be cold during the wet season. Many of the Omaticaya females where currently out foraging collecting the Titanothere sap to bring back to their camp, Neytiri was with them.

Jake was leading a hunting party to capture one of the many Tapirus that where native to this area of the forest. One of Tsu'Tey' previous hunters had told him about this area and the legendary Tapirus herds that roamed the area. From their descriptions, and glimpses Jake had of them during his previous excursions, they where boar like creatures that had tough armor on their back, making it hard to hunt them without a good line of sight at their exposed areas.

The Tapirus had evolved to walk in such a formation that they limited their exposed under bellies to attack from projectiles. So the Omaticaya had developed a simple method for capturing these creatures without trying to kill one or two of these creatures before scattering the rest of the herd.

They had made pitfall traps with sharpened sticks buried into the ground at the bottom of the pit. These where laced with a special poison extracted from the sap of the Titanothere as to not prolong the suffering of the Tapirus. It had been an ingenious plan, except for the part where Jake and his hunters had to wait in the rain for hours on end.

At first Jake had been grateful for the quite time, it gave him time to think and it gave him some peace away from the the clan. The Omaticaya where grateful and didn't complain nearly as much as he had expected but being the clan leader was still a handful. It was a role he was still having trouble adjusting too.

Jake scanned the area for any signs of movement, and then looked to his right to nod to his right hand man. Änsìt was a stealthy perceptive hunter that seemed to always notice things Jake did not. Jake had noticed that this area was a Tapirus trail by the markings they made on the side of the trees next to the trail. What he didn't notice was how the markings where spaced apart from each other, and what it meant. Änsìt had told him this meant that the herd they were trying to snare was a rather large pack of breeding males. They where at least twice the size of their female counterparts, and because it was mating season they were in rut. Because of this they were flooded with a testosterone like hormone which made them very aggressive but also made them more reckless. They had a better chance of capturing the whole herd then they did with capturing a herd of female Tapirus.

Änsìt pointed to the right of Jake. He could see the _warbonnet_ move back and forth quickly, disturbing the many _nekx-ngawng_ that were starting to luminance _with_ the oncoming of dusk. Jake gripped his bow tightly in his hand hoping that the Tapirus didn't sense any danger and kept to the trail. Jake looked to his left and nodded to Änsìt to instruct the hunters to attempt to flank the Tapirus so if they tried to turn tale and run they would be herded back this way into the pitfall. Five of his hunters departed in the direction of the Tapirus without a single sound. They knew how much the Omaticaya depended on them for sustenance, and how they couldn't afford any mistakes. Jake was confident in these hunters, he had handpicked them himself. Two of them had been there with him when he first went into the Hallelujah Mountains to make the bond with the Ikran.

Jake watched as the first of the Tapirus emerged from the Warbonnet fronds while rubbing the side of his belly against a nearby tree. The rest of the group emerged from the forest casually while scouring the ground for any roots or any other morsels they might feed on. Jake was satisfied with the amount of Tapirus in this herd. There where perhaps fifteen to twenty males in this herd, it would feed the Omaticaya for days. Änsìt nodded his approval; the Tapirus where in the correct formation to be herded right into the pitfall they only needed to be spooked. They needed to make sure that the herd didn't scatter but ran in the same general direction towards the pitfall. To do this his hunters who he had instructed to flank the Tapirus needed to be at the correct position but Jake couldn't confirm if they were in position due to the thick Warbonnet cover. So he waited for the audio cue from his hunters that they were in position.

Then the Tapirus paused and looked to their left. There was something else moving amongst the Warbonnet fronds. It was too big to be one of his hunters, and it was creating too much of a ruckus to be a predator. Then he saw it, it was a lone male Titanothere. This could ruin everything, the Titanothere and the Tapirus got along pretty well, in fact they usually ignored each other but that wasn't the problem. The Titanothere was headed right for the pitfall trap which would ruin everything. The Titanotheres hide was too thick to be killed by the pitfall but it would injure it, and the hunters didn't have the necessary long spears to bring down the beast, let alone haul it back to camp.

Jake acted quickly, he moved towards the Titanothere stealthily as to not give away his presence to the Tapirus. Jake needed to divert the Titanothere without having it charge him or this would scare off the Tapirus. There was only one thing he could do, and he knew it was going to be dangerous.

Jake moved towards the Titanothere on all fours towards the creature, being sure to move as quietly and quickly as possible. He knew this was going to be tricky and he had to act fast for it to work. Jake had brought some of the raw Titanothere sap along with him to make poison for the pitfall trap. If Jake was able to smear some on a tree in the Titanotheres path it might preoccupy the Titanothere long enough to get the Tapirus to stampede into the pitfall. The only problem was there was only one tree along the path between the Titanothere and Jake, and Jake had to get there first before the Titanothere saw him to smear the sap onto the tree. If Jake had just made a run for it would have alerted the Titanothere to his presence and made him charge, so his only choice was to crawl on all fours and hope he got there before the Titanothere did.

Jake moved over a large root in the path and then crawled under a Warbonnet frond. He saw Warbonnet frond moving about 10 feet in front of him, and the tree was about five feet away. Between him and the tree was a clear space so he would have to make a run for it. Jake looked back over his shoulder at Änsìt nestled amongst the branches of a tree about 15 feet behind him waiting for his cue. He didn't want to move if the Titanothere was facing his direction.

Änsìt nodded, and Jake charged towards the tree. To him it seemed like time had slowed down and his feet could not carry him fast enough. All of his training to become part of the Omaticaya clan had trained him for this exact moment. He needed to trust his body and his judgment and the rest was left up to Eywa.

Jake dived towards the tree and went to reach for his pouch of Titanothere sap; he dipped his hand in it and lathered his hand in the sap. He could hear the rustling of the Titanothere close by. It was moving closer. Jake lathered the base of the tree in the sap and then he saw it. At the base of the tree there was a shiny metallic object with strange glyphs on it. Jake could hear his heart beat slowly as he looked at the object and a strange familiar feeling came over him.

The object was nothing like he'd seen before. It definitely did not come from earth, the mineral had a sheen to it like nothing he had ever seen before, and the glyphs where not from earth either. Then he looked up and he saw a multitude of wood sprites floating amongst the leaves of the tree. He felt goose bumps rise up on his arms as he looked up at them. He hadn't seen this many wood sprites since he had departed the tree of souls many weeks before.

Then he heard a sound and snapped back into reality the Titonothere was nearly upon him. Jake dived for the nearest Warbonnet frond and just in time. The Titonothere came around the base of the tree and looked around. Jake held his breath as to not alert the Titonothere to his presence. The Titonothere seemed bobbed its head and sniffed the air. Jake could see the many _nekx-ngawng _hovering around the beast as they tried to feed on its sap. The smell was noxious and overwhelming. The Titonothere was literally standing over Jake as it inspected the tree. It had smelled the sap, the plan was working. Jake whistled alerting Änsìt to give the cue to the hunters to stampede the Tapirus.

Jake heard Änsìt give the audio cue, and then he heard the whistle of arrows slicing air as they flew towards the Tapirus. The ground started to vibrate under him as he heard the Tapirus stampede, then he made a dash for it while the Titonothere was looking in the direction of the Tapirus.

Jake dived behind a tree hoping the Titonothere hadn't seen him. It seemed to him as if his heart might explode from his chest at any moment. He waited in anticipation for the Titonothere to charge. Instead it fled into the Warbonnet fronds away from the pitfall trap where the Tapirus had charged into. Jake finally let out his breath with a sigh of relief and headed over for the pitfall.

Änsìt walked towards him with a huge grin on his face as he shook his head, "That was crazy! I don't know if I've ever met someone as brave, or as crazy as you in my life! It is always an adventure to hunt by your side Jake Sully."

Jake grinned as well as he walked towards his right hand hunter, "It if wasn't for you I think I might have become a pancake over there."

Änsìt cocked his head to the side with a quizzical look on his face and asked, "Pan-cake?"

Jake laughed and looked down at himself. He was covered in sap from the Titonothere. Jake went to a nearby Warbonnet frond and used the rainwater collected in the base of the fronds to wash it off. Then he walked over to the pitfall to inspect the results. His hunters where saying the ritual to wish the Tapirus farewell, while finishing off the ones that might still be alive.

"It's unfortunate that we have to make these creatures suffer but unfortunately there is no other way to feed our whole clan while on the move", Jake said.

Änsìt nodded his head in agreement, looking down at the creatures in pity, "Yes but it is necessary, Eywa will understand that our people have need and will provide."

Änsìt hopped down into the pit and helped the other hunters remove the carcasses from the stakes while binding them to poles to be carried back to camp. The other hunters looked up at Jake and nodded in agreement showing that they understood why it was necessary to do what they were doing.

Jake looked back towards the tree where he had seen the metallic object with the strange glyphs on it. He remembered how he felt when he first saw the object and then he remembered the wood sprites he saw. It was becoming dark now and he wanted to get back to camp, and back to Neytiri.

"Brother Änsìt, when I was over at that tree near where the Titonothere was I saw a strange object with weird glyphs on it. I'm not sure what it was, but then I looked up and I saw wood sprites floating amongst the leaves of that tree. I think it may be a sign from Eywa."

Änsìt looked up at Jake with a look of interest on his face. He scratched his head while he tied one of the Tapirus to the pole. "Really? I have never heard of such an object before."

Änsìt and Jake walked over to the tree to inspect the object. It was nestled between two of the trees roots partially submerged in dirt. It appeared to be made of some sort of metallic mineral with glyphs on one side of it. It was about four feet long and 2 feet wide. On the side with the glyphs the texture of the object was smooth and felt cold. The object seemed to be very old and the glyphs seemed to be worn but they were clearly visible.

Änsìt looked up at Jake with awe, "What do you think it is Jake Sully? I have never seen anything like this before. Do you think it comes from the sky people?"

Jake bent down over the object and brushed some dirt away from the surface of it looking down at the glyphs, "No these glyphs are nothing like what we have on earth. This material is totally foreign to me as well. Brother Änsìt bring one of those poles we brought along for the Tapirus and let's see if we can get this thing out of the ground"

Änsìt called over to two of his hunters to bring some of the poles to try and pry the object from the ground. They jogged over and looked at the object in wonder. Änsìt handed Jake one of the Shovels they had used to dig the pitfall and Jake dug out some of the dirt from around the perimeter of the object being careful to not damage the object in anyway.

"Okay brothers try to pry the object out of the ground now", Jake said.

The two hunters stuck the poles around the object and pushed down on the poles. The object came out of the ground a lot easier then Jake had expected. Jake bent down to get a closer look at the other surfaces of the object. The object was about 6 inches in depth on the right hand side of the object, and on the left it was about 8 inches in depth. On the reverse side of the object the texture of the surface was rough to the touch; it seemed to have come off of some larger object. None of the other sides had any glyphs on them. Jake picked up the object, surprised by how light it was. It was indeed unlike any other material Jake had ever seen before.

Änsìt looked down at the object and then up at Jake, "If this is indeed something that Eywa has meant for us to find, maybe we should take it back to the camp for Mo'at to inspect. After all she is very close to Eywa."

Jake looked around to see if there were any other objects lying on the ground or if there was any evidence of where the object came from. Besides the hole from where they dug the object up, there was nothing out of the ordinary. Jake looked up to see if there where anymore wood sprites amongst the leaves but there were none. The other hunters where gathered around him looking at him expectantly. They were starting to bioluminesce with the oncoming of night.

Jake nodded to Änsìt, he was eager to get back to camp. "Load the Tapirus and the object onto the Pa'li. We should have enough room for it. It is getting late and the clan will be looking forward to a good meal."

Änsìt nodded his agreement and called to the Pa'li. Jake looked over Änsìt shoulder and saw them coming through the brush. The stopped before Änsìt and pawed the ground in impatience. It seemed even they where eager to be off. Änsìt nodded towards the hunters and they loaded the Tapirus while Änsìt helped Jake load the object onto one of the other Pa'li.

"It was a pleasure to hunt with you today Jake Sully", Änsìt said with a grin.

Jake looked up at Änsìt on his Pa'li then and pat him on his leg, "The pleasure was all mine Änsìt."

Jake hopped up onto his own Pa'li and then performed the _Tsahaylu _with the Pa'li and then directed it to move forward. As the Pa'li moved ahead Jake looked back over his shoulder one last time at the tree at which he had found the object at its roots. Only the glowing _nekx-ngawng _where left feeding on the sap that Jake had smeared on the tree earlier.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

It had taken three hours for Jake to finally arrive into their camp next to the river. The rain had died down and the skies had begun to clear somewhat, giving Jake a glimpse of the stars and the beautiful aurora between the patches of clouds that still lingered.

When Jake had arrived in camp he had been greeted by a rather large number of the Na'vi children accompanied by Neytiri.

Neytiri walked over to Jake while putting her hand on the side of his Pa'li, "Jake!" She smiled up at him obviously happy to see him, "I didn't expect you to be out this long I was getting worried. . ." She looked around at the hunters with a look of curiosity and concern.

"Did something happen while you were on the hunt?"

Änsìt nodded and looked over at Jake, "Something always happens when you're in the company of Jake Sully."

Neytiri laugh while Änsìt handed her one of the Tapirus they had put on a spit, "That is my Jake for you. He is like a child always getting into trouble."

Jake hopped off of his Pa'li and grinned at Neytiri then placed his hand on her shoulder, "I found I strange object back there. I'm not sure what it is but I believe Eywa wanted me to find it."

Neytiri looked up at Jake with concern, "What kind of object is it? Did you bring it with you?"

"Yes", Jake nodded. "It has some sort of strange glyphs on one side of the object. I've never seen anything like it before." Jake unloaded the object from the pack he had on his Pa'li. "I'm not sure where it came from. It's definitely nothing like I've ever seen before, and it definitely didn't come from earth. I would have recognized the writing. When I found the object it as under a tree and I happened to look up for a moment. I saw wood sprites amongst the leaves, this is why I believe Eywa has meant for us to find this object but I'm not sure why. I was hoping maybe Mo'at could tell us what it means."

Neytiri looked up at Jake with a small frown on her face. She put her arm around his back and looked down at the object, "I've never seen anything like it before either. The Na'vi has never made such an object before. Are you certain it doesn't come from the Sky People?"

Many of the other Na'vi had gathered around taking an interest in the object Jake held. Jake looked around at them and they seemed to be as clueless about what the object was as he was.

"What is this object that you have brought to us Jake Sully?" Mo'at approached Jake while the other Na'vi moved aside letting her through.

Jake stepped forward to show the object to Mo'at, "I was hoping that you would know something about it. My hunters and I found it in the forest while hunting. . . I believe Eywa wanted us to find this object for some purpose."

Mo'at nodded and took the object from Jake to inspect "And you say this object did not come from the sky people?"

Jake crossed his arms while looking down at the object, "No it's nothing like I've ever seen on earth before. The material is nothing like what we have on earth, and the glyphs are unfamiliar to me as well."

Mo'at nodded and took the object into the middle of the camp. The rest of the Na'vi followed behind her obviously curious about where the object had come from. Jake looked over at Neytiri who seemed to be a little worried. She looked at him with a look on her face as if he had once again gotten himself into trouble. Jake grinned and shrugged, he was just happy to see her at the end of the day.

The look of concern on Neytiri's face melted away and was replaced by a look of affection. She chuckled while putting her arm around Jakes waist, "It seems like you go out of your way to get involved in every tangle presents itself to you. It's going to be the death of me one of these days."

Jake laughed at her comment and put his arm around her shoulder. It was nice to be with her again. She had a calming effect on him, despite the constant teasing. "I can only be what I am, Eywa has made me so."

Neytiri smiled and rested her head against Jakes shoulder while closing her eyes, "Yes I know. Just try not to do anything to reckless; I cannot help but worry about your safety. Eywa has made me so."

Jake smiled and shook his head with a smile, "Well I guess it's like they say, opposites attract."

Mo'at stopped at the largest fire in the middle of the encampment. She placed the stone on a large tree stump to inspect it. The other Na'vi gathered around the stump in curiosity to get a better look at the object. Mo'at inspected all of the surfaces for the stone, running her hands over each surface. She placed the object back down onto the stump, and then opened a jar containing a strange jelly like substance.

She lathered her hands in the substance thoroughly then replaced the lid on the jar. "Fì'u fìtseng. Tsa'u tsatseng. Tsa'u peseng", she murmured. She placed her hands on the object and began to thoroughly lather it in the strange substance working it into all of the pits and polishing the humps. She worked it into the indentations where the glyphs where carved.

"Yol nulkrr nìngay nìtxan. . .", she paused then looked down at the glyphs with a strange look on her face. Mo'at pulled over a basin of water and washed off the jelly like substance from her hands. She then poured the rest of the water over the object slowly, making sure to completely douse the object on all of its surfaces. After this she pulled over a chisel and set it on the opposite side of the glyphs.

She waved to Jake to come closer while continuing to look down at the object, "Hold the object please."

Jake nodded and removed his arm from Neytiri and stepped over to the stump. Jake placed his hand onto the object and was surprised to find that the object was a lot warmer then it previously had been. He placed his hands on each side of the object firmly and nodded to Mo'at.

Mo'at picked up a hammer like object and tapped the chisel gently. The object vibrated for an unusually long period of time, giving off a low and distinct humming sound. Mo'at furrowed her brows and looked at Jake while pursing her lips, "Where did you find this object Jake Sully."

Jake nodded and removed his hands from the object. He scratched his head and then pointed to the east, "We were about three hours due east of here. There was nothing out of the ordinary about the location. It was a place where the game trail seemed perfect for a pitfall trap because of the surrounding landscape, and because of this The Tapirus where less likely to scatter because the brush was thick with Warbonnet vegetation."

Änsìt stood beside Jake and nodded, "Yes it is as Jake says, there was nothing really extraordinary about the place. We wouldn't have even noticed the object if that Titonothere hadn't appeared when it had. Fortunately Jake was able to distract it long enough for us stampede the Tapirus."

Mo'at looked over at Änsìt and nodded, then asked "So why do you think this object has some sort of connection to Eywa?"

Jake looked down at the object, which was now considerably shinier then it had been when he had first found it. Light from the nearby fire was reflecting off of its surface illuminating more clearly the glyphs inscribed on it. "Well when the Titonothere was about to spoil the hunt, I had to distract it. So I used some of the Titonothere sap we had brought along to use to make poison for the pitfall to distract the beast. When I was in the process of doing this I happened to notice this object at the foot of the tree partially submerged in soil. A weird feeling came over me and that's when I noticed the Wood Sprites floating amongst the leaves of the trees. There was a considerable amount too, so I believe Eywa wanted me to find the object for some reason."

Mo'at nodded and looked down at the object as well. A hush had come over the crowd gathered around the object, being fascinated that Eywa had sent to them such an object as this. They looked down at the object with wonder and awe as if Eywa herself had given them this object. "I see. . . well I do not recognize the writing on this object, and since you say the glyphs are nothing like you have on earth I am left with one conclusion. I believe I may be familiar with this material, but I have not seen such a substance in a long time. Not since I was a little girl have I seen it."

Neytiri looked up at Mo'at with curiosity and put her hand on her hip looking up at her mother, "But mother, I have lived here all my life and I have never seen such a substance, where could you have possibly seen it?"

Mo'at looked down at the object intently with a far off look in her eyes, "When I was a child a strange man from a far off clan came to us far from the north. He was Na'vi of course but he wore strange garments that where very different from those that the Omaticaya wear. He was only passing through our area and it was told that he was heading far to the south of us. He did not explain why, but only that a great suffering had befallen his people and to remedy it, he needed to continue his journey to the south. The creature he traveled with was unlike any living in these areas. It was twice the size of a Pa'li and was covered with a thick fur. It had four tusk half the size of its own body and had strange markings on its fur. On its neck it had strange ornaments of a substance similar to that of this object. . ."

"Hey what is everyone looking at over here?" The crowd parted once again to let another through, this time it was Norm. Jake greeted him and explained about the object and how he had found it.

"I believe Eywa meant us to find this object Norm. I'm just not sure why. . ."

Norm nodded and nodded his head to Mo'at. He had become scruffier since the RDA had departed but he was getting along well enough. The clan had been very appreciative of his assistance during the conflict of the RDA and had no problem excepting him into the fold. "Jake is right about the glyphs on this object, they are not from earth. Believe me I've been exposed to pretty much every language that there is on earth. The material seems to be pretty intriguing as well. . .its definitely not a raw substance. Someone had to refine it, and I don't believe the Na'vi have such technology although I may be wrong. Perhaps the Na'vi in other areas has such technology. I'd like to examine this object under a microscope for further analysis if that is okay."

Jake looked at the object again and then said, "Yes I believe that is the best approach. See what you can do with it, and then report back to me your findings please."

Norm picked up the object and nodded to Mo'at. She seemed to have a far off look in her eyes, and then turned around to Jake. "I am not sure what this object is, but I believe it has some important significance. We would do well to take care of it."

Jake nodded in agreement and said, "Be sure to not damage the object in any way Norm. It may have some sort of significance in the future."

Mo'at handed Norm a cloth to wrap the object in. He did so then tucked the object under his arm and nodded to Jake then headed back to his tent at the edge of the encampment. The crowd began to disperse while Mo'at walked over to Jake.

Placing her hand on his shoulder she said, "This rider who arrived from the north appeared thirty years ago. Not long before the RDA appeared, maybe there is some connection."

Jake looked up at the sky. The clouds had cleared considerably since he had arrived in camp clearing the way for the stars. It seemed to be a little chillier than usual, perhaps it was because he was still damp from the rain. Jake stepped closer to the fire and looked down at the embers and said, "I don't believe the RDA ventured to other parts of the planet. From what I know they stayed in this general area but I may be wrong. When we finally find a suitable shelter for our people I will investigate this matter further. Perhaps going back to Hells Gate and looking through the computer logs will reveal something. ."

Mo'at looked at Jake intently staring into his eyes for a short period, then looked over at her daughter and smiled, "I am happy to know that this matter will not distract you from the well being of our people. Sleep well my children."

Jake watched her walk away as she pulled her shawl tighter around her shoulders. Jake settled down next to the fire to watch the Tapirus he had set earlier of the pit earlier cook on the spit. Neytiri snuggled up next to him while resting her head in his lap. She looked into the fire as the embers popped and crackled. Jake leaned back against the stump while stroking Neytiri's hair, he had been waiting all day to be back here with Neytiri.

Neytiri sighed and said, "I hope we find a new dwelling soon Jake. Traveling like this takes a lot out of the people. It is not our way. . . they will be happy to finally settle down."

Jake cupped his hand and blew breath into them for warmth. He looked up at the sky to see the clouds moving by quickly, it seemed the storm was finally passing. The stars and Polyphemus and its two visible moons seemed unusually bright tonight. The forest seemed to be more quite then usual although there were a considerable amount of _nekx-ngawng _lingering giving off their characteristic blue glow.

Neytiri hummed a Na'vi song under her breath that only Jake could hear but couldn't quite understand. It seemed to calm him and melt all of his tensions from the day away. He let his mind wander while looking at the fire, thinking of earlier days before he had become Teruk Maktao then the _Olo'eyktan. _Compared to the current situation, those days seemed to be carefree to him. Days he could spend in joy with Neytiri learning the ways of the Omaticaya, and generally enjoying life. Now he had responsibilities to fulfill and duties to attend to. He had to spend time away from Neytiri which he disliked the most. But he did not blame the people or the Omaticaya, they had a need for a leader and he was the one to fill the position.

Jake looked at the Tapirus slowly rotating on the spit and thought about the tough decisions he had to make in order to insure the survival of the Omaticaya and its people. To be a leader meant to make hard decisions and to preserve the balance of justice. In this Jake didn't have much difficulty he had always been sure of himself and never second guessed his own decisions once he had fully committed to them. Uncertainty was something that he could not afford to entertain, not when they depended on him as a leader. He had to be strong, for them, for Neytiri.

Neytiri understood and was well aware of his burden as a leader. She had always been there for him, ready to give advice when he needed it. The first few weeks at Olo'eyktan had been exhausting for Jake. Many members of the Omaticaya had fallen in the struggle at the tree of souls against the RDA. Many of the Omaticaya warriors had died in that battle, many of the children had been left without a farther. Some where even left without any parents. The rest of the tribe took in these children of course. The clan had begun to adjust to their new life since then, but Jake was eager to find a new home for the Omaticaya to settle in.

Neytiri stood up next to Jake and moved around the side of the fire inspecting the Tapirus. She rotated it slowly inspecting all sides of the carcass checking if the meat was thoroughly cooked. She pulled out her knife from her sheath at her hip and sliced off two small slices of meat to sample. She handed one piece to Jake, and kept the other for herself.

Jake chewed the meat and was surprised at the taste. Male Tapirus in rut had a distinct taste compared to their counterparts. It had a strong musky taste, which was brought out by the seasoning Neytiri had used. Jake chewed it slowly thanking Eywa in his mind for the blessing of a good meal.

Neytiri smiled and said, "Eywa has blessed us today with a good meal. This will feed the clan for many days."

Änsìt and a few of his hunters walked over and settled down near the fire. Änsìt and his hunters smiled and complimented Neytiri on the meal.

"We were fortunate to find such a large herd of Tapirus today. It was a pleasure hunting by your side brother, I look forward to it in the future", one of the hunters commented.

Neytiri settled down next to Jake and handed him some meat on a stick sharpened at both ends. On it there where various vegetables and some fish meat that Neytiri had caught earlier.

Jake smiled at her in thanks and nodded to the hunter.

Later that night as Jake slept next to Neytiri, he dreamt of once again flying on Teruk through the skies of the Hallelujah Mountains. He flew over vast forest covered in lush vegetation. Below he saw vast herds of many of the animals that covered the landscape. The clouds in the sky seemed to be moving by at an un-natural pace. Then he was flying over a vast ocean filled with wondrous sea creatures bigger than anything he had ever seen back on earth. Vast school of colorful fish of green, red and yellow filled the oceans.

The oceans themselves where a deep shade of lime green different from the oceans on earth. There where big creatures twice the size of the largest whales that where now extinct on earth that chased the schools of fish for miles. Vast schools of ocean stingbats flew over the oceans trying to capture any fish foolish enough to venture close to the surface of the water.

Then the air started to become colder, and the wildlife started to change. The stingbats disappeared and where replaced similar creatures with a brown white and grey color scheme. These creatures had feathers but where altogether different from any bird on earth. They had tentacles coming out from behind their heads which is a feature common to all creatures on Pandora, although the tentacles on these creatures where not nearly as long as those found in the tropics. Icebergs started to appear and the fish that inhabited its waters where of a similar color scheme to that of the arctic stingbats. Here the larger whale like predators still roamed, but where few and far in between.

Then land appeared on the horizon, land with radically different vegetation then in the tropics. Here the trees where more like conifers, but where had an orange and purple color scheme mixed in with some green. Besides this the vegetation was pretty similar to that in the arctic regions on earth. It striked Jake as odd because the vegetation was _very _similar in its appearance. Then he saw herds of wild creatures similar to strumbeest except they too had a different coloration, similar to the arctic stingbats. Viperwolfs of the same coloration roamed the areas, accompanied by other predators similar to the ones in the tropics.

Then he saw vast herds of animals that he had no name for, animals similar to mastodons on earth except they were more reptilian and had two pairs of tusk instead of a single pair. He remembered the description that Mo'at had told him of the creature the rider used and thought that these must be them.

Only one thing striked him as odd, there were no Na'vi to be seen.


End file.
